Email Elizabethshops at wailea
No Shortage of Restaurants at Wailea Resorts
A nice benefit to vacationing in Wailea is the large number of restaurants at one’s disposal located within walking distance (or stumbling, depending on your beverage selections, I suspect). In fact, if you’re running late because of your horribly hectic schedule, shuffling nail appointments or massages around beach lounging time, there is a hotel shuttle service that provides free transportation at The Fairmont Kea Lani.
Between 5 hotels, each with 2 to 3 restaurants, there are also a number of other eateries ready to serve the ubiquitous $31 to $50 entrees that are conveniently located in the complex known as The Shops at Wailea. I am guessing there are about 25 restaurants near our hotel, and with only 10 nights in Maui, my only regret is we can’t dine at each.
Having so many dining options at our disposal also carries a sort of inherent responsibility to get cleaned up and put on decent attire, suitable for going out. Maybe wash your hair. At least when we dine at home, we can sit at the table in our muddy t-shirts with disheveled hair and nobody makes us wash our hands.
To an awful dinner last night I had to send back at the Marriott Mala, I wore a black shirt with white lettering I had found at Nordstrom that stirred up the crowd. When I wear that shirt, strangers approach out of the blue and ask what it means. Now that I think about it, it’s men who ask for an explanation. Which is probably why they sell the shirt to women. It says: Eat your lettuce and be sad. The sales clerk at Nordstrom thought it was a little bit mean but not mean enough not to be funny, and I agree.
I guess tonight we will enjoy our last meal at Humuhumu at the Grand Wailea, which is where Oprah Winfrey threw a birthday celebration gala. They word on the island is she spent $27 million on that event. Just a bit of trivia to make you feel better about yourself.
Photo: Elizabeth at Marriott in Maui by Barbara Dow
The Rolex Store at the Shops of Wailea
It was very unlikely that Barbara, my team member, nor I would buy anything in the Rolex store at The Shops at Wailea, but that didn’t stop us from entering. I enjoy looking at small trinkets to adorn my wrist that cost $30,000. To buy a Rolex, I imagine a person would need to develop either a blatant disregard for money or have lost all concept of money. The thing could cost $30 or add another 3 zeros, and it would make no difference because the price tag probably carries little meaning when a person has billions.
That’s why it’s a bit fun to let the salesperson show you items when you know that never in a million years would you ever buy it. You can say that to the clerk’s face, but they know better. They know even though you might never in a million years buy it, you are holding a credit card, therefore, it is possible that you might.
The lights in the store are designed to display the wares in all of their glittering goodness. I asked the clerk how they can sell a Rolex when so few people even wear a watch anymore. I wondered out loud if this was a business doomed to head some other direction, like IBM or Kodak.
That’s when the other salesperson in the store blurted out: It’s a legacy. It’s a timeless piece of art and beautiful jewelry.
They showed us a gold necklace made from smashed peas. Look, the clerk smiled longingly at the piece, it’s so pretty you want to pet it.
No, we didn’t buy anything. But I enjoyed their sales techniques.
